Tank Sensors/Monitors


onthecoach

Senior Member
Hi All!

We are in an RV park in Ohio (Cincinnati), for 2 months. This park has NO SEWERS! The owner comes every Thursday to pump out the grey and black tanks.

We have to get our grey tank emptied 2x a week, as the gauges indicate the grey tank is full. My husband works construction and showers 2x a day, and we do dishes 2x a day. I shower at the campground showers so as to not fill the tank even more.

The owner has told me that the sensors/gauges in my 2005 Fleetwood MH are 'junk' and completely UNRELIABLE.

AND--- has told me, as well as the campers around us, to go ahead and empty the grey tank on the ground!!! As long as it is done 'after 5pm, or on the weekends, when the inspectors are not around!' This is digusting and dangerous!!! Our next door neighbors shower and do laundry in their 5th wheel and just leave the grey tank OPEN!!!

I've been RVing 10+ years and on both my former Pace Arrow and this new BOUNDER I have found the sensors and gauges to be pretty accurate.

My question: Do you find your sensors and gauges to be accurate -- enough?? If not, what do you do? Can we have these replaced with higher quality sensors?? How difficult/costly???

Your thoughts are greatly appreciated. BTW---we have no internet access at this CG, so I have to rely on the library and they only allow 45' a day!

Thank goodness we are moving to a new CG (WITH SEWERS!!!) on Aug 1!!


:8ball: :8ball:
 

ARCHER

Senior Member
RE: Tank Sensors/Monitors

I have found that the sensors are pretty reliable, if kept clean (the tanks). The grey tank is usually a lot smaller than the black tank and will fill up quicker if lots of dishes, sink use, showers, etc.
I would "Never" dump, even the grey tank on the ground, as it is not sanitary and it will draw critters eventually. I would report that owner to the health department (after you have left the campground). :blackeye:
 

C Nash

Senior Member
Re: Tank Sensors/Monitors

Lynn, I would get out of there as soon as possible and like Archer said report them. My guages are pretty accurate but the tanks do need to be kept as clean as possible.
 

onthecoach

Senior Member
Re: Tank Sensors/Monitors

Thank you, Both!!! I am in full agreement with both of you, and I do plan to report this campground as soon as we leave!

The problem I am having no, is that I really can't get the tanks as clean as I usually do, since I can't really FLUSH them like I usually do!

My plan is the following:

Fill grey and black tanks to capacity.....include tank cleaners and dump lots and lots of ice cubes into the tanks. Then, while driving to the new campground (about an hour away) the slushing and ice should help get the tanks clean again. Then, I can dump at the new campground and keep the grey tank open for drainage as needed.

Another question:

What devices/systems have you been using to clean your tanks? I had a stick once, but it really didn't seem to work all that well. I also tried the "Sewer Solution" , but could never get it to fit properly on my old coach.

Any suggestions???

Thanks!
 

hertig

Senior Member
Re: Tank Sensors/Monitors

The best cleaners are the internal cleaners, but they require drilling a hole in your tank. There is a new one which spins, which looks particularly interesting.

On my trailer, I used a clear 45 degree elbow which had a water inlet port. Actually, I tried 2 of them; one which shot a stream of water back up the pipe which seemed to clean better, and one which had a second valve on the end which allowed me to backfill the tank. I liked both features, so got both by adding a valve to the end of the first one.
 

onthecoach

Senior Member
Re: Tank Sensors/Monitors

Thanks so much for the help! We are out of there now--thank GOD!! We are in a GREAT campground near NE Cincinnati -- Cedarbrook CG. If you are ever in this area....stay here!! It is lovely, free WIFI and the place is great! People here are MOST accomodating!!
 

C Nash

Senior Member
Re: Tank Sensors/Monitors

Glad you got out of there onthecouch. Glad you found a rv friendly campground.
 
Re: Tank Sensors/Monitors

What's wrong with the recycling of grey water?
Living in an area that has been having severe summer heat with little rain, during those hotter than haydeee months I'd like the option of running my grey tank line to empty into different areas of the yard.
Our pond in this RV park gets dangerously low during the worst of the summer and the owners can no longer pump well water into it because the per gallon charge that they are charged (guess it's by the county) for every gallon of well water they pump over their "yearly allottment" ( :eek: have you ever heard such crookery?) has sky rockted.
We're in the "city" limits of a tiny country town (don't blink your eyes), so I don't know that there is a restriction against it, but rerouting our grey water to our yards wuld help.

I once knew an old guy who drained the water from his washer into his yard, moving the drain hose from here to there periodically, so no water would ever stand (our ground is very sandy and drains fast) and he had the best looking green lawn around.
As long as grease and :dead: human waste is not drained down the grey tank, what's the harm to drain it in the yard? :question: It's just water!

BTW, another friend of mine had a pond dug in the back side of his property, where he raised catfish. He ran the drain pipe from his trailer's kitchen sink to drain into the pond where he also fed bits of leftover food down it.

He had :laugh: grrrrrreeeaaaat catfish.
 

onthecoach

Senior Member
Re: Tank Sensors/Monitors

Well....I think that catching and using rain water (even acid rain water) is fine for the yard....but GREY water has lots of bacteria in it (showers, soap, shampoo, conditioners...and the sink water isn't much better. I can tell you, there was a VERY bad smell when those former neighbors of ours let their grey tanks out onto the ground....it REALLY STANK UP THE PLACE!!! That just CAN'T be good....and....it's against the law!!!
 

C Nash

Senior Member
Re: Tank Sensors/Monitors

Really brings in the flies, ants and all kind of varmints that I don't want to share a site with :angry: Might even be a e-coli or two running around in that mess also. great thing about RVing you can move out of the neighborhood real easy :laugh: Whew, ugly :(
 

shadow24

New Member
RE: Tank Sensors/Monitors

Lynn,
I just came across your post and was reading from the top, I was going to reco. Cedarbrook to you, but I see you found it on your own. I'm glad to hear you are out of the other poorly managed location.
We like Cedarbrook a lot. Very, Very, well maintained, and looked after. I have been there many times for weekend trips. I live in Liberty Township so we can be there in about 1/2 hour.
As far as your tanks, I would reco. the Tornado Tank rinser. I installed one in my black tank. I am always amazed at the amount of stuff that comes out after I have dumped the tank with gravity method. I have a clear adapter between the valve fitting and the dump hose. If you are using the gravity method only, you are probably never getting it completly empty. This is a very easy to use device once installed, (which is really not difficult either).They sell them at most of the Walmarts in our area. I installed the one with the hose connection. I placed the hose connection fitting near the dump connection so I can usually use the dump station water supply to rinse. If not I will dump and got to a hose connection and rinse and then dump again. This is one of the best value devices I have installed. I am thinking of installing one in the grey water tank also.
Good luck.
Joe
 

onthecoach

Senior Member
Re: Tank Sensors/Monitors

Hey, thanks Joe! I will check this out. I do have an automatic back-wash feature on the black tank, but I like your idea, too!

BTW-Cedarbrook is great! We are sorry to leave it...we are heading to Denver on Saturday!
 
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